1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to systems producing combustible vapors from a portion of the gasoline admitted into the cylinders of an internal combustion engine, and more particularly, to such systems with gasoline pre-heating and vaporizing devices.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The combustion characteristics within the cylinders of an internal combustion engine change greatly with the addition of sufficient amounts of vapor. As used herein, the term "fuel delivery mechanism" means a mechanism: for delivering fuel to the cylinders of an internal combustion engine, including, but not limited to, a carburetor-based delivery mechanism or a fuel-injection-based delivery mechanism. Typically, with a spray of fine droplets of gasoline entering the cylinder, which is the case with all standard fuel delivery mechanisms, combustion proceeds in a chain reaction from the ignition point at the spark gap. The droplets nearest this point ignite, heat up, expand, and ignite other droplets. Although this happens very rapidly, there is not enough time in the fraction of a second when the piston is at the top of the compression stroke for the combustion to spread entirely across the head of the cylinder and burn all of the droplets of gasoline completely. This results in fuel continuing to burn in the expanding space created as the piston moves back down the cylinder. This is usually referred to as afterburning, and it produces several deleterious effects both inside and outside the engine (e.g., reduced engine power and performance, increased engine wear due to loss of cylinder lubrication, accumulation of carbon and sludge deposits throughout the engine, and increased toxic exhaust emissions). However, when a sufficient amount of gasoline vapors are introduced into the cylinder along with the gasoline droplets, afterburning is essentially eliminated. This is because the vapors act as a medium for accelerating combustion across the head of the cylinder instantly while the piston is still at the top of the compression stroke. The gasoline is burned more quickly and completely resulting in more power and reduced harmful emissions. Gasoline is not a uniform substance, but a mixture of many different complex hydrocarbon molecules, some of which are very volatile while others will become volatile only at extremely high temperatures which could not be safely maintained. Because of this, only a portion of the total amount of vapor that can be produced from a given quantity of gasoline can be utilized. In the present invention a fresh supply of gasoline enters the vaporizer container continually while volatile and non-volatile material are removed. Volatile and non-volatile material remain in approximately the same proportion at all times.
The applicants are aware of the following U.S. Patents concerning gasoline pre-heating and vaporizing devices:
______________________________________ ISSUE U.S. Pat. No. INVENTOR DATE TITLE ______________________________________ 4,498,447 Harvey 02-12-85 Gasoline Vaporizer For Internal Combustion Engine 4,398,523 Henson 08-16-83 Fuel Conservation Device 4,476,840 Budnicki et al. 10-16-84 Evaporation Chamber For Fuel Delivery System 4,483,304 Yokoi et al. 11-20-84 Fuel Vaporizer For Internal Combustion Engines 4,494,516 Covey, Jr. 01-22-85 Carburetor/Vaporizer 4,553,520 Lindenmaier 11-19-85 Device For the et al. Generation Of A Defined Fuel Vapor/Air Mixture 4,562,820 Jiminez 01-07-86 Cavitation-Producing Carburetion Apparatus And Method 4,448,173 Abe et al. 05-15-84 Fuel Evaporator ______________________________________
Harvey and Henson bear some functional similarity to the present invention. They both cover devices specifically directed toward increasing fuel efficiency in an internal combustion engine and reducing exhaust pollutants. Other patents have issued for vaporizer inventions, including Abe et al., Budnicki et al., Yokoi et al., Covey, Jr., Harvey, Lindenmaier et al., and Jiminez. The typical function of these devices is to improve engine efficiency by delivering gasoline vapor directly to the carburetor.
Several key features characterize the present invention and distinguish it from the patents listed above. First, it utilizes a spray means and a fine wire mesh within a vaporizer container to vaporize the gasoline and separate the vapor from the liquid gasoline. Second, the heating component is separate and external to the container. It may be a heat exchanger using heat from the engine coolant or an electric heating element, but "water heat" is the preferred method. Third, vapor is transferred from the vaporizer container directly to one or more constant vacuum inletsstandard components of all modern engines. No secondary carburetor or any modification of the engine is required. Fourth, the container has an atmospheric air inlet so that there cannot be any dangerous build-up of pressure or vacuum within the container. Finally, both the vaporizer container and the fuel delivery mechanism are supplied from the same fuel circuit, permitting continuous replenishment of volatile gasoline components.